He Ain't Heavy
by chrystaline
Summary: AU: Harry is brought somewhere other than the graveyard when he is portkeyed away during the Triwizard Tournament and is saved by his unlikely twin brother.


_AN: This has been posted before under cherryade before I decided to convert this account to one that is exclusively for Harry Potter._  
><em>1. James is alive but Lily is not.<em>  
><em>2. Takes place in GoF.<em>  
><em>Enjoy.<em>

He sat on the rickety bed, head bent and shivering as the thin cloak of despair that covered him barely provided him with warmth. The dripping of water that seemed to so often come with dank and putrid dungeons echoed somewhere in the background. He clawed the tender flesh on his left forearm compulsively, scratching roughly and drawing blood. He did not seem to notice; his mind was far away in a place where no one hurt because hurt did not exist. It had been too many days, or was it weeks, or months, or even years? He would bet every strand of hair on his head that they had forgotten about him.

The door creaked open. He jumped slightly and shuddered as a draft blew in from the cold stone corridor. He did not look up but continued staring at the floor.

"Harry!" a boy with white blond hair whispered and his footsteps tapped quietly across the stone floor.

"Draco?" the boy on the bed replied head still bowed, voice more curious than surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, of course," Draco hissed as he pulled a needle out of his robes. "I can't use magic in here, so you have to bear with me while I get these off the muggle way." He sat to work with the heavy manacles that bound Harry's ankles but Harry pulled them away.

"Leave!" he whispered harshly, eyes closed. "You're going to get caught!"

"I won't leave without you," Draco shot back through clenched teeth. He grabbed Harry's ankles and pinned his feet down with his knees. Harry, weakened by the horrors he suffered at the Dark Lord's hand, was helpless to struggle.

"Please, Drake," Harry whimpered. "Go. I can't lose you."

Draco stared at Harry like he had lost his mind. He licked his lips and jammed the needle onto the catch.

"You'll lose us all if you stay here," he replied softly. He lowered the chains to the floor slowly so as to avoid arousing suspicion. "Come," he ordered. "We have to leave now."

Harry seemed to draw in on himself. His eyes remained close as he rocked gently back and forth. "I can't leave," he murmured.

"Why not?" Draco asked impatiently. He glanced out the barred door and was relieved to see no one. Not yet. "Harry, dad'll kill me if I don't bring you back. Besides, I can't leave you here. What sort of brother would that make me?"

Harry shook his head frantically. "I can't!" he repeated piteously.

"Quit being ridiculous. We don't have time!" Draco snapped and grabbed Harry's arm. "Can you stand?"

Harry nodded.

"Good, come, there's a secret passage through the wall across this cell. We can escape through there," Draco instructed, pulling Harry to his feet. He glanced at Harry and frowned. "Open your eyes, bro. How are you supposed to walk if you can't see?"

Harry smiled, a sad smile. He opened his eyes and Draco reeled back in horror. His back collided with the stone wall and he almost lost his balance. In place of the clear crystal green eyes Harry had inherited from their mother, was an opaque sheen of pure white.

"What's the point, Drake?" Harry asked quietly. "I can't see anyway."

Draco stumbled clumsily to his feet, hand over his thudding heart. "It's okay," he whispered. "I'll guide you out." Deftly, he slung his brother's too-thin arms over his shoulders and supported him towards the dark hole that had opened at his whispered command.

It seemed to be a teleporting hole of sorts because instead of a long dark tunnel, the twins found themselves in an open field. The moon was obscured by wispy clouds, a perfect source of faint light that illuminated the way yet protected them. Draco removed a chain from his pocket and placed the pendent in Harry's hands while he held onto the chain. Harry cocked his head to the side.

"Isn't that Godfather's?" he asked as he traced the embossed silver S on the pendent.

"Yeah," Draco replied. "Hold tight."

Harry grabbed Draco's shoulder and Draco looked at him anxiously.

"Are you alright?" he asked, worried.

Harry nodded slowly. "Where does the portkey go?" he asked timidly. Draco suddenly understood. He was taken away from the Triwizard Tournament's maze by means of a portkey and he had understandably developed a phobia of it.

"Don't worry, I got you. I won't let you go," Draco reassured him. Harry seemed to relax as Draco pulled him into his arms. "C'mon, brother of mine," he said after a brief moment of emotional silence.

"Let's get you home."


End file.
